Belt cleaning device



W. HELLER BELT CLEANING DEVICE Filed May 10, 1946 I May 1, 1951 INVENTOR.

10/44/001 0. was/E ATTOR/Vf.

.ing the discharge end of the conveyor.

Patented May 1, 1951 BELT CLEANING DEVICE William D. Heller, Isabella, Pa., assignor to National Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application May 10, 1946, Serial No. 668,875

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved device .for removing foreign material from belts.

1 ore and other materials and particles of these materials tend to adhere to the belt after pass- Such accumulations of foreign materials interfere with the proper operation and function of the belt and the problem of preventing accumulations is especially acute for belts exposed to outside weather conditions although the problem is not confined to such locations.

Various types of belt cleaning devices have been suggested. Power-driven, rotary brushes have been proposed but they are readily clogged I by ice and snow and are relatively expensive to install and maintain. Both stationary and resiliently supported scraper blades mounted on leaf springs or counter-balanced arms have been proposed. The stationary blades cause excessive wearing away of the elements, while the resiliently supported blades tend to chatter which results in non-uniform removal of the accumulated foreign material. Consequently, the cleaning devices of the prior art have not been entirely satisfactory.

A primary object of this invention is to pro-' vide an improved belt cleaning device for removing ice, moisture, slime, and other foreign materials that does not become clogged even when used under extremely adverse conditions.

A further object of. this invention is to provide a belt cleaning device which will not chatter and which will uniformly remove all of the foreign material adhering to the belt.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved belt cleaning device which is economical to install and maintain, which is 'efficient in operation, and which is suiiiciently sturdy to have a relatively long operating life.

The present invention provides an improved belt cleaning device which includes at least one and preferably a plurality of metal scraper blades.- The blades are supported in a novel manner so that they do not chatter, do not become ineffective from fouling of the blades with accumulated foreign material and do not damage the belt or cause excessive wearing away of the elements.

This is achieved by providing resilient means separately urging the opposite end portions of the cleaning blades toward and into contact with the surface of the belt being 23 on each corner post.

'2 cleaned whereby the blade end portions have substantially independent floating movement toward and away from the belt surface.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when considering the following description along with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a belt cleaning apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in position for cleaning a belt; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the details of the support at one end of one of the belt cleaning blades.

The belt cleaning device In is mounted on a suitable support ll adjacent a belt l2 having ing device 10 may be a separate support or may .be part of the belt supporting apparatus.

The belt cleaning device In includes a first pair of corner posts 16 and I I and a second. pair of corner posts I 8 and I9. Each corner post is similarly supported at its lower end on support I! and with its upper end extending through .a bracket 20 .rigidly supported in any suitable manner. Each corner post is preferably slidable through member 2-0 so as to facilitate dismantling of the cleaning device. There is an adjustable, normally fixed collar 22 with a set screw A second collar 24 is slidably mounted on each post. A spring 25 encircles each post between each pair of collars 2 1 and 22, and urges the corresponding collar 2-4 upwardly toward surface l3 of belt [2.

Belt blades 26 are removably mounted in a supporting frame 21 so that they extend in a direction diagonally across the surface IS. The

support 21 includes a pair of cross-members 29 and 30 extending transversely of the belt surface 13. The cross-member 29 supports theend portions 3| of blades 26 and is connec ed at each of its ends through a rod 33 to the slidable collar 24 mounted on the corresponding one of the first pair of corner posts 16 and [1. The other crossmember 30 supports the opposite end portions 32 of blades 26 and is similarly connected through corresponding 'rods 33 to the s'lida'ble collars 24 on the pair of corner posts I8 and 19. The end of each cross-member and the corresponding rod 33 and collar 24 are so constructed and arranged that each cross-member may tilt relative to the collar 24 and so that frame 21 may tilt and properly position itself and blades 26 in responseato variationsuin theslopof belt l2. End member 34 extend between and are connected to the end portions of the crossmembers 29 and 30. The end members 34 may be omitted.

With this construction, the springs.2.5,on.posts. I6 and I! resiliently urge cross-member 29 and the end portions 3| of blades 2firtoward and into contact with the surface -l3'of'belt. l2" and-the= other springs on posts [8 and I9 resiliently urge the cross-member 3!! and the endiportionsw 32 of blades 26 toward the surface l3. Thus, the

opposite end portions 3| and 32 of theblades 26-- are separately, resiliently urged toward the surface 1 3? and the. blade. end. portions shave independentfioating movement in direction toward and away fromzthe-surface is which decreases harmful abrasion; eliminates chatter and results in' more: uniformvcleaning, all 'aswill be more fully pointed'out when describing the operation of the cleaning device.

The blades 2E may' be formed' of any suitable material but are-preferably: formed of metal,

Metal blades are more nearly self cleaning and Prior to or during operation of the belt clean- I ing device Ill, the set screws. 23 may be loosened and the collars 22 individually vertically adjusted so. that. each spring 25 pushes upwardly the .proper amount and the collars then locked in -position by tightening the.screws 23. Normally the blades 26 will. be urged against the belt surface I3Jbutl in some locations it .may be desirable to have the. upper. edgesof the blades normallyspacedfrom the belt surface l3 a slight amount. Byspacing the, blade. edgesv from the.

belt friction. and abrasionare reduced-to a minimum while ..accumulations...of appreciable quantity, are removed.

Whenthe pulley rotates ina clockwise direction andthe. return side of belt I 2 .moves .towardsthe.

left asindicatedin Figure.,2,.the.belt does not move in astraight lineor in. afixed plane, but will undulate. With thepresent device the .blade supporting frame 21-.and the blades can readily tilt to .follow. both. the. longitudinal .and: transversegundulations. of. the belt -soas to maintain a maximumlamount ofeach blade incontact with the.belt.. An. abruptwave in. the belt or-alprotuberanceonthe belt surface w-ill often bemoving at sufficient speed: so thatthe impact against the blade will. tendtodrivethe bladeaway from the. belt :with sufilcient. momentumsothat there is zagtendency for the blade 3 to move acompletely away, --from.- the-belt surface. Withthe present device, if aprotubera-nce strikes an-end port on ofblade, the opposite end portion is not moved away from the belt as the opposite end portions of the blades have separate floating movement. Thus, the present invention also eliminates or greatly reduces all tendency of the blades to chatter. When blades chatter, they do not uniformly remove theiaccumulationsand cleanthe belt.

I claim: W

l. A device for cleaning a surface of a moving belt comprising a belt cleaning blade; a first cross-member extending transversely of the belt surface and supporting one end portion of the blade; a second cross-member extending transversely of thebelt surface and supporting the oppositeend'portion of the blade; a slot in each of said cross-members for removably receiving thezcorresponding blade end portion; and means forurging each cross member toward the belt surface.

2. A device for cleaning a surface of a moving belt-comprising a belt cleaning blade having a bottom and opposite-end surfaces; 21. first crossmember-extending transversely of the belt surface andsupporting one end portion of the blade;

a-second cross-member extendingtransversely of thebeltsurface' and supporting the other end portion oftheblade; a slot in each cross-member for removably receiving the corresponding blade endportion; each slotincluding a bottom surface-adapted to engage the bottom blade surface to support the blade and an end surface adapted to" engage the corresponding blade end surface; and resilient'means separatelyurging each crossmember toward the, belt surface whereby the blade end portions. have independent floating movement in adirection toward and away from the belt surface.

3. A device for cleaning the surface of a moving belt, said, device comprising a first cross member extending acrossthebelt surface,,a second cross membenspaced from and. extending across the belt,.surfaceaplur-ality of. cleaning blades supported on. the, cross membersin spaced apart,

.parallel relationship, each blade havingv one end supported-on: the first cross member and having the other. endsupported onrthe second cross memberiand extending diagonally of the direction of belt movement so that each blade extends diagonallypar-tially across the-belt surface, each cross member being. slideably mounted at opposite ends on-a pair of posts for movement toward and away from the belt surface, an independent resilient means at each post urging the respective .end of a crossmember-toward the-belt surface whereby the opposite-ends of the blades are independently, urgedtoward the, belt surface and whereby the opposite ends of each cross member are independently urged toward the belt surface;

4'; A device forcleaning the surface of a moving belt, said-device comprising afirst cross member extending across the belt surface, a second cross member spaced from and extending across the belt surface; aplurality'of cleaning blades supported on the cross members in spaced apart parallel relationship, each blade having one end supported by-the first cross member and having the other end supported by the second cross member and extending diagonally of the direction of beltmovement' so that: each blade extends diagonally" partiallyacross the belt surface, a slot inr-each cross :member for each'blade and each slotremovablyreceiving the corresponding blade end portion of" a: respective blade, each cross 5 member being slideably mounted at opposite ends on a pair of posts for movement toward and away from the belt surface, and independent resilient means at each post urging the respective end of a cross member toward the belt surface whereby the opposite ends of the blades are independently urged toward the belt surface and the opposite ends of each cross member are independently urged toward the belt surface.

WILLIAM D. HELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Lakeman June 21, 1927 Rund et al Oct. 31, 1933 Sinden Oct. 2, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 13, 1939 

